Friday, January 13, 2017

The 3 Biggest Problems With Professional Sports

This is the Biggest
Problem With Pro Sports

There are many great reasons to stay up late to watch a
professional hockey or baseball game. Each year, the Super Bowl is one of the
highest rated programs in the world. However, this doesn't mean that
professional sports don't have their flaws. It could be argued that the biggest
problem with pro sports is that it has become all about the money.

Money Is Starting to
Ruin the NFL

If you have watched an NFL game recently, you know all too well
that the league will do anything to make a dollar. For instance, some believe
that the annual games in London are a plot to put a team there on a full-time
basis. There are also plans to hold games in China in an effort to expose
itself to the roughly one billion people who live there.

The quest for the almighty dollar has also lead to a weird
phenomenon in which a game goes to commercial break after a scoring play only
to take another commercial after the kickoff. In larger markets such as Dallas,
San Francisco, New York and New England, you almost have to take out a loan to
buy tickets to a game, which has led to some home games being populated by fans
of the opposing team, who take the opportunity as a vacation.

Players Aren't Immune to
Maximizing Their Earning Potential

It has been reported that Bryce Harper wants $400 million over 10 years when he becomes a
free agent. While there is nothing wrong with getting what you are worth, large
contracts make it harder for teams to sign enough quality players to field
championship teams on a regular basis. This is why so few players actually
spend their entire careers with the same team anymore. Although the advent of
the salary cap may create parity in some leagues, parity can quickly turn into
mediocrity when a few players make the majority of the money.

Teams Hold Communities
Hostage for Better Compensation Packages

The Florida Marlins were able to get the city of Miami to pay
for most of their new stadium. However, they are still allowed to take most of
the revenue generated from concessions, luxury box sales and ticket sales. St. Louis
just found out firsthand how easy it is for an owner to move to a larger market
on a whim without much opposition from others in the league. San Diegans did
not want any of their tax dollars to help build a billionaire's stadium, as they voted against the idea of raising taxes
in order to pay for a proposed $1.8 billion dollar downtown stadium and
convention center in order to keep the Chargers in San Diego. It is highly
likely that the Chargers leave San Diego for Los Angeles as early as next
season.

Although it is common for cities or states to approve tax
increases or other incentives to get teams to stay, there is some question as
to what economic benefit the city actually sees. In
other words, having a professional sports team in a community may not actually
create jobs or make the area a better place to live.

Sports can teach us a lot about life and how to work together
to achieve a common goal. However, it can also teach us a lot about the evils
associated with greed. While few people will stop rooting for their teams
anytime soon, professional sports leagues would be wise to respect their fans
if they want them to keep spending money.